Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

War.

Dark Cacao Cookie was no stranger to war.

By this point, the art form was ingrained in his very being. The warcries of soldiers were music to his ears. The beat of his heart had become that of war drums. Every swing of his great sword was like a brush stroke, creating beautiful cascades of red across every battlefield.

He was a master of the art of war. Never before had he hesitated.

Until today.

Endless white stretched before him. A void of pure nothing. It lacked any warmth yet somehow also lacked the comfort of cold.

This place took from him Cookies he cared about; his loyal subjects and warriors. (Dare he even say.. friends…?) Successfully denying him much needed companionship.

The rage he felt as he watched them disintegrate was unlike any he had ever felt.

But this heartless plane denied him revenge on the one who guided them here. Cloud Haetae Cookie’s mocking laughter still echoed in his ears even now.

This realm took away any form of relief or release. It stole from him those he loved and hated.

Now only he remained. Alone.

… No. No, that wasn’t quite right.

He was not alone here.

He could feel her presence on the wind. He could feel her essence in every grain of flour beneath his feet. He could feel her venom in every twisted word she spoke.

Mystic Flour Cookie.

The Beast had dragged him into this hell of endless white. She wished to lay claim to his half of their shared power. She claimed she was the rightful owner of his resolution. She wanted it back…

He would laugh if he were the type to enjoy jokes.

He earned this power. He struggled, he suffered, and he was rewarded. Unlike her, who was handed the world on a silver platter and broke the minute things didn’t go her way.

Pathetic.

“Pathetic…” Mystic Flour Cookie’s voice echoed across the white expanse, “You struggle in vain. Your efforts are futile. You know this, yet you still refuse to crumble. Like a rabbit caught in a snare. Like a fish in the jaws of a bear. Like a fly tangled in a web. You struggle, yet even you cannot delay the inevitable…”

This was a battlefield he was unsure how to navigate. But slowly, he found his footing. 

“You will die here… It is only a matter of when…”

Every gust of flour that threatened to blow him over only made his stance firmer.

“Time claims all things. Mountains, kingdoms, kings… None can fight the natural order. Everything ends… In nothing….”

Every word she spoke made his unresolved anger grow, refining it into a dangerous weapon.

“Your goals. Your dreams. It all amounts to nothing. What is the point in aiming for anything, if it all ends the same…?”

Dark Cacao Cookie closed his eyes. The grip on the hilt of his sword tightened as he began to feel something building within him. Something dangerous.

“Return to flour…”

It felt like a dragon was inside of him, clawing at his innards, desperate to be released.

“Feel the futility of all things…”

He had felt this before… When the Pomegranate Priestess had cast her curse on him… She had opened the door to a part of him he had never even known existed.

A door that never fully closed.

“Let go…”

His grip tightened on his sword as another gust of wind tried to rip it from him.

His Kingdom was crumbling.

His faithful warriors were taken from him.

(His son was nowhere to be found.)

And now this… This Beast DARED lay claim to HIS power. HIS resolve. HIS very life.

“Die, as you were always meant to…”

Dark Cacao Cookie’s determination hardened. His rage boiled over. The last thread of his patience finally snapped.

In his mind, he reached for that cursed door.

“No.” The word came out as a hiss; the sound silenced the wind. Dark Cacao’s eyes snapped open as both they and his Soul Jam began to glow a dangerous hue. “I refuse.”

Mystic Flour Cookie tsked. The coward had yet to show her face again, but something within Dark Cacao told him to gaze toward a specific spot on the pale horizon.

“You truly are pathetic…” The disappointment and disgust in her voice was palpable. “You fight, despite having nothing left to fight for.”

Now Dark Cacao really did laugh. It echoed throughout the realm, a bitter sound that brought with it the cold of the Great Icing Ridge.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” He said with a vicious grin. The war drums in his chest began to beat harder. The chorus of battle cries from ages past began singing in his ears. He could feel his sword itching to paint this pure white plane red.

Like every artist, his craft called to him once again.

“I will fight… To end you.”

Something moved on the horizon.

There you are.

With a mighty swing of his sword, he sliced the wind in half. Flour was scattered, clearing his vision and offering him a path to his target.

There she stood, the Beast of Apathy herself; wreathed in clouds and light, she was truly a mockery of a holy saint.

All he saw was a disgusting creature meant to be slaughtered.

Dark Cacao Cookie charged forward with a roar. Blind rage finally overtook him as he flung open the cursed door and released the power begging to be freed.

(The strength of not one, but two dragons was absorbed into his very being by the act. The twin dragons’ bloodlust for the enemy pushed him only further over the edge.)

His last coherent thought before losing himself was a prayer.

“Everyone… Forgive me….”

Dark Choco Cookie first witnessed the Pale Ailment when he was on the road.

A traveler had collapsed in the snow, his steed nowhere to be found and his supplies scattered haphazardly. He had thought it had been a bandit attack so Dark Choco had gone to check on the stranger, but found the cookie disintegrating into flour. The white substance blended into the snow. It stained his gloves, his clothes, everything; It made Dark Choco feel sick.

“We must… return… to flour…” The traveler’s voice was dry and dusty. Every breath produced a white cloud. Despite clearly being in agony, the traveler was smiling.

With those last words, he fell apart. The grains of flour were swept away by the wind, leaving only a cloak and ruined supplies.

He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t gotten sick after that. Maybe the ailment wasn’t as contagious as everyone assumed it was. Maybe it spread through other means. (Maybe it was because he was the son of an immortal.)

Every village he passed through was frantic with rumors. 

The strange fog was a weapon created by Dark Enchantress Cookie. The ailment is divine punishment from the Sky Goddess. The plague is caused by not eating enough bitter foods.

Nobody knew anything and news wasn’t traveling fast enough, leaving only room for speculation and panic.

“Here.” Dark Choco Cookie settled two hefty bags of food at the feet of the Milk Tribe Elder. “This should last you for another few weeks. Ration it well.”

“Divines bless you,” said the Elder. “It has been so hard lately to get supplies from the other villages. Everyone is running low on food; traveling has been restricted in an attempt to keep the Ailment from spreading; everyone is so panicked… Some cookies take one look at us and assume we’re already infected! They calm down once they realize their mistake though.” The Elder laughed. Dark Choco was a bit envious of the old man’s optimism.

“I hear most of the infected have already been quarantined…” Another milk cookie piped up. “The King has the best apothecaries and healers working around the clock to find a cure.”

Dark Choco’s hand twitched at the mention of his father. His fingers attempted to wrap around the hilt of a sword that was no longer there.

“I heard something too!” A child jumped up and down, eager to be a part of the adults' conversation. “I heard the King is leaving!”

“Leaving…?” Dark Choco Cookie’s brow furrowed. He knew his father. He knew he wouldn’t just leave the Kingdom in the middle of a crisis like this.

“Uh-huh!” The young boy nodded so hard that his hat got knocked askew. He took a moment to fix it before continuing. “My friend in the next village over said– He said that that King said he’s gonna go fight the fog!”

The Tribe Elder chuckled, “My dear boy, do you mean to say the King plans to fight the source of the fog?”

“Yeah! That!” The boy nodded again, this time causing his hat to fall off completely. “He’s gonna go across the black sea! My friend knows because his Papa was summoned to go help get the big ship ready!”

Dark Choco felt something in his heart squeeze. “He plans to go to Beast-Yeast?”

“That sounds just like our King!” The Elder said with a wide smile, “Willing to take on any enemy for the sake of his Kingdom!”

Dark Choco bit the inside of his cheek at the bitter reminder that he was one of those enemies.

“When will he be departing?” He asked instead.

“I dunno!” The child shrugged in that over-expressive way children often did. “I think it’s gonna be soon though.”

“I… See…” The fallen Prince’s gaze shifted to the ground. Uncertainty churned in his gut as he tried to understand how he felt about this news. Realistically he should feel nothing. His father’s choices were no longer his problem. He was on his own path now, one where family had no part in the equation.

… If that was the case, then why could he not shake this feeling of worry?

He was pulled away from his thoughts by a bag being shoved into his arms.

“Please, take these.” The Milk Elder said with a warm smile, “Warm dressings, Milk Potions, and a sword from my younger days! You’ll need them for your trip!”

“What…?” Dark Choco blinked. He didn’t say he was going anywhere…?

“Go be with your father, my prince.” The Elder’s eyes gained a knowing twinkle to them. The title made Dark Choco startle, which caused the old man to laugh.

“You knew?!” He whispered, gaze darting around, afraid to catch a scornful look from one of the villagers. Yet there were none to be found.

“Of course I knew!” The Elder continued to chortle, “I recognized you the moment I saw you! How could I ever forget the pride and joy of our Kingdom? Our great King’s most prized treasure?”

Dark Choco Cookie’s grip on the bag tightened as sadness pooled in his chest. Pride and joy? Treasure? He was none of those things…

His father probably never wanted to see him again.

“It is times like these when a family must stick together!” The Elder continued, either oblivious to Dark Choco’s inner turmoil or choosing to ignore it. “I see you are worried for his well-being. Go! Be with him! We will be fine on our own.”

Despite wanting to vehemently deny it; despite his urge to shove the bag back into the Elder’s face and vanish into the woods out of shame; despite his own bitter feelings toward his father…

The small hopeful part of him he thought died ages ago decided to show itself again.

“Be with him.” It whispered with the voice of his child self, “You miss him. You want to resolve this just as much as he does. He loves you. He loves you. Please, believe me. Please, stop lying to yourself. Please, stop hurting yourself. He loves you more than you realize. Go. Go! Before it is too late…!”

It was this voice that guided him through the wilderness of the Dark Cacao Kingdom.

It was this voice that guided him to the Citadel.

It was this voice that guided him to stow away on his father’s ship.

The longer he followed the voice he began to wonder, was it truly his inner self that was speaking to him…? It spoke with his younger voice, and yet, it spoke of things he should have no knowledge of…

He supposed it didn’t matter, as it fell silent when they arrived at their destination.

Dark Choco had waited until most activity on the ship ceased before taking his leave. What little crew had been left behind to keep an eye on the ship was easily avoided and Dark Choco soon found himself running into the wilds of Beast-Yeast. The pale fog offered him great cover from any danger as he silently followed the trail left behind by his father and the warriors that followed him.

Until suddenly that trail vanished.

The footprints scattered in all directions at some point, and it was impossible to tell what had happened. There didn’t seem to be a struggle. Had everyone simply gotten lost…?

No, Dark Cacao Warriors were some of the best survivalists in the world. They never would have strayed from one another unless something had purposefully separated them.

The fog had gotten so thick by this point he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. It carried with it an ominous feeling that made the prince's dough crawl. He felt uneasy, as if he were being watched...

“Anyone?!”

The voice made Dark Choco freeze.

“Is there no one here?!”

It was his father.

“If you can hear me, answer!”

Dark Choco’s throat closed up. His heart rate spiked. He struggled to keep his breathing even.

He was afraid.

“Is there really no one here…?!”

He could see a tall silhouette through the fog. The familiar shape of his father was an imposing sight. The glint of his Soul Jam cut through the blinding white wall that separated them.

Father and son, mere steps away from one another, and yet it felt as if they were miles apart.

“Go to him…” His child voice returned, though it sounded distant now. “He needs you. Please…”

He…

He couldn’t.

Dark Choco Cookie turned on his heel and ran.

Rustle… rustle…

In his haste, he made a bit more noise than he intended. His cloak caught on some bushes and disturbed the leaves. He bit out a curse but continued to run.

“Aha! Fresh cookie tracks!”

Dark Choco bit his tongue. Of course, how could he ever hope to avoid the one who taught him how to track in the first place?

Rustle… Rustle rustle…

His father gave chase. Neither the weight of his armor nor the rough terrain slowed him in his blind pursuit of the cookie he didn’t even know was his son.

“Who goes there?!” The threatening tone of his father’s voice triggered Dark Choco’s survival instincts.

He never planned on using the sword the Milk Elder gifted to him. Now he was glad he had resisted the urge to throw it away. He hadn’t even realized he had taken it up until he was already putting the blade between himself and his father.

“Face my sword!”

‘CLANG!’

The sound of ringing metal echoed across the area. Dark Choco was flung back by the force of the swing, his father's strength far surpassing his own. He rolled out the momentum - narrowly avoiding colliding with several trees - before he sprung to his feet and fled deeper into the forest. 

Dark Cacao Cookie stopped in his tracks at that moment. Awestruck by the cookie who had just read his sword’s movement and parried him with excellent skill. He reached out a hand and began to call out to the stranger’s retreating form–

“Wait–!”

“Your majesty! It’s me! Caramel Arrow Cookie!” 

“There he is! Look, we’ve found his majesty!”

The voices took Dark Choco off guard. He hadn’t sensed any other cookies in the area, yet suddenly there they were. Despite the oddity of the situation, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. The sudden appearance of his father’s warriors stopped his pursuit.

Dark Choco didn’t stop running until all he could hear were the winds between the mountain peaks.

He collapsed against a tree to catch his breath. He reached up to rub away the flour that was stinging his eye. His hands were trembling.

This was an awful idea.

How could he be so stupid!? His father hated him. The last cookie he would want to see in the middle of this crisis was Dark Choco. He was a disgrace. A mistake. There was no way he would just welcome Dark Choco back with open arms.

Why did he keep lying to himself? Why did he keep daring to hope that there was something left of their relationship that was worth repairing…?

His eye stung again, this time with tears.

Dark Choco Cookie wasn’t sure how long he sat there. His sense of time had vanished within the endless white fog. It felt like ages had passed, and yet no time at all.

He eventually managed to pull himself together again.

Coming here was a mistake. He had to find a way back to Crispia as soon as possible. With that goal in mind, he rose to his feet and walked in the direction he hoped was South.

A twig snapped to Dark Choco’s left. In one smooth motion, he grabbed his bow, and had an arrow notched at the source of the sound in no time flat.

Surely, it couldn’t have been his Father, could it? 

He heard the growl of the Cream Wolf before he saw it. The beast lunged at him and he dodged to the side, firing his arrow but missing it by a hair. He raised his bow to block just in time as it lunged again. The wolf’s teeth clamped down on the weapon, snapping it in half under the force of its powerful jaw.

Dark Choco was forced to the ground by the wolf’s momentum but was quick to push it off. He sent it careening back into the bushes. Surprisingly, there was the sound of a cookie’s startled “OOF!” alongside the wolf’s injured whine.

“Who’s there?!” Dark Choco demanded as he once again rose. He discarded the broken weapon and drew his sword. “Show yourself!”

“Hey, what’s the big idea?! You can’t just go throwing my friend around!” A cookie emerged from the bushes. His attire was that of a Dark Cacao Outrider. And his voice… It was familiar somehow…

Dark Choco pulled his hood further over his face.

“Then maybe tell your ‘friend’ to not attack travelers!” The prince snapped. “It just cost me a perfectly good bow!”

That seemed to dampen the warrior’s temper as he realized what had happened. “Oh… Uh… Sorry about that. We heard weird sounds and thought it was another monster about to attack us. This fog really messes with you– wait…”

The warrior gave Dark Choco a critical look, and for a moment he was afraid of already being found out.

“Have you happened to see any other cookies around here?” Asked the Outrider, “They should be wearing darker armor than me! Or maybe even an archer with a black and white bow? Or even better, a really tall cookie with a really powerful sword?!”

Dark Choco Cookie sighed silently with relief.

Then that relief turned to confusion when he remembered where he heard this cookie’s voice.

Hadn’t this been one of the cookies who had reunited with his Father earlier?

“Did you lose your King again so soon?” Dark Choco asked. What kind of Outrider lost his charge so quickly?

“Huh?” The Outrider blinked in confusion, “What are you talking about? Wait, have you seen his majesty!?”

Dark Choco scoffed and pointed in the direction he had remembered coming. “I saw you reuniting with your King back that way. Is your sense of direction really that poor?”

“Hey, I have a great sense of direction!” The cookie snapped back, “And I have no idea WHO you saw, but there was no way it was me! You’re the first cookie I’ve seen in hours!”

Wait… What…?

But he could have sworn…

Unless…

Dark Choco’s eye widened under his hood. After spending so much time around Pomegranate Cookie and her despicable illusions, he would have thought he would recognize such a simple trick. Apparently, he was wrong.

Oh no.

The prince cursed under his breath as he turned to start running back the way he had come. He ignored the indignant cry of the cookie behind him as he followed his own tracks toward where he last remembered seeing his father.

“HEY! WAIT!” He could hear the sound of paws coming up behind him as the Outrider gave chase on his wolf. “What do you know!? Stop!”

“Your precious King is in danger!” Dark Choco called over the sounds of rustling leaves and rushing wind. “Something in the fog is after him!”

“What the hell?! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO?! HYAH!” Dark Choco was nearly bowled over by the wolf overtaking him. Both wolf and rider pulled ahead with ease, leaving Dark Choco in the dust.

“That idiot doesn’t know where he’s going…!” He hissed between clenched teeth. He brushed the flour off of his cloak and fully intended on giving chase–

“...oves… you….”

The sound of his own voice on the wind gave him pause.

“This voice…” It was the same one he heard back in the Milk Village. The same one who guided him to this continent.

“He… loves… you…” It sounded so quiet. Like a whisper. He had to strain to hear it. “So… much…”

Slowly, Dark Choco turned to where he could hear the voice coming from.

“...Guide me to him.” He whispered and followed the voice deeper into the fog.

They tore at one another like a pair of wild animals.

So blind were they by their rage that they failed to realize that neither of them was gaining any ground. They were equals in power. An eternal stalemate.

The Pale was driven by hunger. Despite damning the concept of individual desire, she still pursued her own with great fervor. She was determined to claim what she deemed was rightfully hers.

The Dark was driven by anger. Pure hatred for his enemy dictated his every attack. His memories of the King he was supposed to be cast aside in favor of merciless ferocity. He only intended to stop his rampage until his rival was nothing but flour in the wind.

The Black and the White. The two Halves of a Whole who sought to destroy themselves and each other.

A pair of Beasts fighting for dominance.

Their arena was a vast expanse of nothing. Noone and nothing to bear witness to the destruction they left in their wake.

With every swing of his sword or slash of his claws, the white plane was scarred. No matter how much magic the Beast poured into her attacks, her plane of Apathy could not heal the wounds he created fast enough. Her magic bit away at his form, the fierce windstorm chipped away at his dough in bits and pieces. No matter how much they bled, neither slowed in their respective assaults.

All conversation had long ceased, the language they spoke now was that of violence. Their song of battle cries and enraged hisses echoed through the plane.

Apathy and Resolution. The Soul Jam glowed brightly through the fog, like a pair of beacons.

They were monsters. They were immortals. Their power was equal. Their battle would be eternal.

Or, at least, it would have been.

But unlike the two great Dragons of Legend, the Black Dragon of this story had something his rival lacked.

Family.

When Dark Choco Cookie had followed the voice, he didn’t know what to expect.

His father, dead or dying on the ground?

His father, alive and well, having already conquered whatever evil had targeted him?

A monster wanting to devour him whole?

Well… He was sort of right on that last one.

Dark Choco didn’t hear the sound of battle until it almost crushed him. Two massive bodies suddenly appeared from the fog. He barely made it out of the way before a gigantic dark form was pinning a writhing white one beneath powerful claws.

He was knocked to the ground by the force of the tremor that followed. His hands flew up to cover his ears as the white creature shrieked like a banshee.

He scrambled back as he tried to make sense of what was in front of him.

The first creature was a pale being, their top half looked to be that of a cookie, but their lower half was that of an arachnid. It - she(?) - hissed in outrage at the creature that was holding her down, bearing fangs that Dark Choco knew could bite him in half with barely any effort.

The second creature was one Dark Choco recognized all too well. He would never forget that fateful day Pomegranate Cookie had been foolish enough to try cursing his father. The monstrous form Dark Cacao Cookie had taken still haunted him.

And now here it was once again; the monster his Father became in his darkest nightmares. Yet somehow the monster before him was even more formidable than that.

Claws longer than Dark Choco was tall. A blade large enough to reduce the Chocolate Wall to crumbs. Eyes full of blind fury and hatred.

Both combatants were too fixated on each other to notice the little cookie who had intruded on their battlefield.

He watched in horror as the monster - His Father - raised his massive sword, about to run the blade through the Spider’s torso. The Pale Beast bit his hand, causing the armor to crack and pieces of the gauntlet to disintegrate to dust. Something purple and wet leaked from the wound, causing his Father to roar in pain and withdraw.

Now that the Pale Beast was freed, it sprang to its feet and attempted to put its enemy on the back foot.

Dark Choco watched the battle, eye wide in both fear and awe.

He felt his resolve waver.

What could he do in the wake of two warring titans?

What was he even meant to do? Was he even needed? Why was he called here?

The Dark Beast went to throw a punch, but it was halted by ribbons of spider silk wrapping around his wrist. The Pale Beast tried to go in for another bite, this time at his throat, but the attack was blocked by the King’s mighty blade.

Perma-frost spread across the spidersilk that bound his father's hand. The threads were broken into tiny frozen pieces as he wretched his fist free, struck out and grabbed the pale creature by the throat. His claws dug into her dough, the injuries were flaky and dusty, as if the creature were only made of the purest of flour and nothing more. Its mouth opened to cry out in pain, only for its scream to be cut off by a sickening sound as the king-turned-beast struck it in the face with the pommel of his sword.

The brutal assault caused even Dark Choco to cringe, having never bore witness to such merciless ferocity from his Father. Was that even his father anymore...?

Purple and Pale lights glowed brightly. Roars and hisses echoed across the vast expanse. The earth beneath the two monsters trembled. Dark Choco had never felt so small.

“Help…… Him…”

Dark Choco’s breath shuddered when he heard the voice again. His gaze shifted to Dark Cacao who was locked in a contest of strength with the Pale Beast.

“I… I can’t.” Dark Choco breathed. “There’s nothing I can do.” All he had to defend himself was a sword gifted to him by a kindhearted village elder. What could he do against two creatures wielding the power of Soul Jam? Even when he was still under the thrall of the Strawberry Jam Sword, he was no match for his Father!

“You can… You will…” Whispered the voice. “This war… Will destroy everything… Unless it is stopped….”

“Tip… the scales….”

“Do not… fight him….”

“Fight… With him…!”

“Fight with me…!”

“Dark Choco Cookie!”

The call urged him to his feet. His heart began to pound in his chest as realization flooded him. This voice. He knew this voice. He would hear it when he was a young child sometimes, it would guide him and offer encouragement, but he had stopped hearing it as he grew older. He had assumed it was just a product of his lonely imagination. But... Could it be it wasn't as imaginary as he had initially thought...?

The spider was sent careening to the ground. The dark monster advanced, as if to lay a finishing blow, but the spider waited until he had grown close enough to lash out and blind him with flour. He brought a hand up to try to rub the painful substance from his eyes, only for the spider's entire weight to tackle him the moment his guard was down.

Dark Choco knew what he could do.

The Pale Beast pinned Dark Cacao to the ground. Ribbons of silk wrapped around his throat and began strangling him; they bound his wrists and ankles and attempted to twist them at painful angles; he was totally prone. Dark Cacao couldn’t swing his sword, couldn't throw a punch, all he could do was struggle. His legs uselessly kicked up dust under the Pale Beast as he tried to breathe.

“Your Father needs you! Now is your chance!”

Dark Choco drew his sword and sprinted toward the battle. This was crazy. This was stupid. He had no real plan. Every part of him screamed to run away from the danger, but he stubbornly kept running forward. His desperate hope hardened into determination.

Both Beasts snarled at each other, bearing their fangs and refusing to give in to the other. Their close position to the ground was just what the small prince needed.

“He needs your help…”

Dark Choco moved without thinking. He took a running leap and lunged.

“... to remember what is truly important!”

His blade struck true. One swift, brutal strike across both of the Pale Beast’s eyes. The resulting shriek made Dark Choco’s ears ring.

He failed to see the hand coming at him, and even if he did there would have been nothing he could have done. Pale fingers wrapped around him and squeezed.

‘CRACK!’

Dark Choco Cookie couldn’t fight the pathetic sound that escaped him. He felt pain as white and raw as the flour on the ground radiated throughout his torso. His vision doubled, then tripled, then blurred until all he could see were blobs of black and white.

The hand shook before it was forced to release him. There was a roar, though it sounded distant to Dark Choco’s damaged hearing. The prince fell to the ground like a rag doll. The flour did nothing to cushion his fall. His sword, which had slipped from his grip, embedded itself in the ground a few feet away.

He lay there, barely conscious. He could feel the trembling of the earth intensify as the monsters above him did battle. He idly wondered if this was where destiny dictated he meet his end. Would he be crushed by the Pale Beast or by his own Father?

By this point, he hardly cared.

Every breath was agony. He couldn’t move his arms or legs. He felt so tired… So cold…

Maybe… It wouldn’t hurt… To rest for a moment…

“Dark Choco Cookie! Don't you DARE!"

The sound of his name being called startled him enough to remain conscious.

No… No. He did not come all this way just to die. He had to hold on. He had to stay awake. Dark Choco balled his hands into fists and bit down on his tongue in an attempt to keep himself alert.

He had to stay awake.

Above him, the battle had leaned heavily in Dark Cacao’s favor. While the Beast was distracted with trying to heal her eyes, the Berserk King took the opportunity to channel as much energy into his sword as he could.

The power of the dragons within the blade almost seemed to sing - a discordant and wrathful melody - as their strength flowed through him. Their power, combined with that of the Soul Jam, was almost maddening. A thrill coursed through his dough as he raised his weapon high and charged.

With one decisive swing, the Beast of Apathy was sliced in two. 

“You…!” What remained of her exclaimed with an agonized cry, “This isn’t over…! You only… delay… the inevitable…!” 

Her form disintegrated into flour as the demon’s spirit was sent careening back into her prison.

Apathy had been put back to sleep… For now.

While he only pushed the enemy back; a win was a win. The war was still raging, but this long and arduous battle had been won. The Dark Beast roared in victory. Its cry echoed across the empty void. It stood alone. A mountain of Black amidst fields of White.

Alone….?

… No. No, that wasn’t quite right.

He was not alone here.

Slowly, his eyes drifted down, down, down… To the small form that lay on the ground.

…

Dark Choco Cookie didn’t even realize how silent and still everything had gone until he felt the ground began to shake again.

‘THUD THUD THUD’

Massive footsteps, getting closer. His blurred vision went from pure white to pitch dark as a shadow fell over him. He felt his heartbeat flutter against his chest as what few scraps of survival instinct he had left fought for control.

'THOOM'

The titanic sword being stabbed into the ground nearby sent shockwaves through the area. He braced himself against the harsh winds, holding his breath until the dust storm died down. An oppressive aura hovered over him now, and he could practically feel the Beast's empty gaze on his prone form.

Dark Choco could do nothing but tremble.

He felt something nudge his side and he recoiled away from the touch. Moving was a bad idea, and every crack in his body voiced its displeasure. Dark Choco bit into his sleeve to muffle the sound of his agony, but it was deafeningly loud in the silence of this empty realm.

Once the pain settled into a manageable ache he pressed his forehead into the ground. The prince’s breath was labored, and he struggled not to get any flour in his mouth. He had to pull himself together. He had to run. Yet, he knew he couldn’t.

This situation was officially worse than all of his nightmares combined.

In his nightmares, he had the honor of going down fighting. They also all played out the same way, so he at least knew what was coming.

This? He didn’t know what was about to happen next and it terrified him.

Dark Choco’s eye widened when he felt something firmly pinch his torso and begin to lift him. He tried to grab something to keep him grounded, but the flour fell away from his fingers.

It hurt, dear Gods, did it hurt. His broken body was dangled between thumb and forefinger for a moment before being set down in an open palm.

The cold metal beneath him did little for his injuries as he was rolled onto his back. He coughed up a lung-full of flour and dust, staining the dark metal with flecks of white.

His father’s eyes bore down on him. Dark Choco felt pinned underneath their gaze. As the staring contest dragged on he got more and more wound up. Eventually, he couldn’t do it anymore. Dark Choco turned his head away and screwed his eye shut, bracing himself for the worst.

The Dark Beast didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Didn’t so much as breathe.

He… He knew this.

He knew this little one.

Why did it cringe at his touch? Why did it turn its head away?

Why did seeing it bring his heart so much joy and pain?

“Remember…” A familiar voice called to him from the depths of his soul. “Dark Cacao Cookie…. Please. You have to remember…”

Something about this felt so familiar to him. This bitter sorrow but overwhelming joy. He had experienced it once before. So very long ago…

“Look upon the face of your son, and remember…”

Son…?

Yes.

His son.

The day he first held his son. That was when he felt this.

The sound of a baby’s cry echoed in his mind.

He had been so small, back then. So soft. So innocent. So untouched by the evil in this cold and bitter world they called home. He had felt so much joy in that moment, despite the pain of losing Her, it was as if his heart were going to burst.

There had been complications with the birth. The doctors had tried their best, but they couldn’t save Her. This child, their child, was all that was left of Her.

He had Her eyes.

With a claw capable of tearing buildings to pieces, he carefully stroked the scar on the little one’s face. Despite how gentle the act had been, it still caused the little cookie to cringe. Another memory resurfaced, one that brought him great shame.

He had done that.

He had done that to his own son.

The eyes he loved. The eyes of one he had sworn to protect. The eye, once innocent and free from sin; now missing its twin and heavy with hurt.

He had done that.

His claw pulled away as if burned. A sad sound rumbled in his throat.

Dark Choco expected a lot of things to happen at that moment. Most of them ended in his painful and brutal death. He did not expect to open his eye and see the massive Beast crying over him.

Dark Choco’s world shook as his Father fell to his knees. Clouds of flour were kicked up by the action.

Dark Cacao practically folded in on himself. It was like he was trying to protect the broken cookie in his palm from the rest of the world. White tears spilled down his cheeks and the Beast let out a pitiful moan.

The Beast before him was beaten and bleeding. Its armor was scuffed, damaged, and cracked in several places. It had won in a great struggle with its other Half. It had conquered the Master of Apathy, a god who had been worshiped in the ages past.

And yet the thing that brought this mighty Beast to its knees, was the pitiful sight of its beloved son.

Despite his body’s protests, Dark Choco Cookie raised a trembling hand and set it against the Dark Beast’s thumb. Its sorrowful cries fell silent almost instantly as Dark Choco gave the appendage a weak pat.

“Hello, father…” His voice sounded awful and his throat felt like sandpaper. “I’m… Sorry… I just keep causing… trouble…” 

Dark Cacao Cookie shook his head. 

“I… am… sorry…” His first coherent words in hours were strained. His voice rumbled like an earthquake, yet his tone was uncharacteristically soft. The King was determined to voice his thoughts, no matter how difficult this form made speaking. This needed to be said. “So… very… sorry… I was not… The father… You needed me to be….”

“It’s not like I made it easy for you.” He chuckled despite himself. Damn, where did this sense of humor come from all of a sudden? He supposed all that time spent with Licorice Cookie and Poison Mushroom Cookie rubbed off on him.

Dark Choco’s chuckle turned into a violent coughing fit. More flour stained his clothes. The hand he had rested on his father’s thumb began to fall apart.

Ah.

He had finally gotten sick, or perhaps, it was the Pale Beast who had inflicted him with the ailment when it attacked him.

… He didn’t want to die.

He wanted to see the mountains of his homeland again. He wanted to sleep under the open starry sky. He wanted to visit the villages, talk to the cookies, and hear their stories.

He wanted to go home.

“Father…” Dark Choco’s voice trembled, “I don’t want to die…”

Dark Cacao felt fear stab into his heart as he watched his son’s body begin to crumble in his hands. No.

No no nononono–

“You can save him…” The Light of Resolution whispered to him.

“How?” He demanded as he shielded his son’s disintegrating body from the wind.

“Is it not obvious?”

Dark Choco weakly leaned his head back. He felt himself slipping, but he didn’t want to go. He tried to hold on to his Father. Tried to hold onto that stubborn will that brought him here.

He refused to die.

At least, he refused to die without saying something that had to be said.

“I love you.”

And all at once, Dark Cacao understood.

He remembered what it was that he fought for: A future. A peaceful and prosperous future for his son and people. He wanted to give them and their descendents a world with which they would know no fear from the threats across the Licorice Sea.

He would give everything for them. He would fight until he was broken into pieces and could no longer get back up.

Even if the world kept spinning without him, he wanted nothing more than to at least leave this world securing that future.

A wellspring within him burst open. A new level of power he didn’t think possible flowed through him like a tidal wave. His Soul Jam shone brilliantly, as bright as the stars in the night sky. The frantic and wild powers of the dragons were brought to heel and bent to his will. No more would he allow their wild anger to control him like a common animal.

Dark Cacao Cookie would do anything for those he loved. He would split the seas and move mountains if it meant protecting those he treasured. And today, he would pry his only son - his greatest treasure - from the cold apathetic hands of Death with nothing but his own will.

Dark Choco’s world went dark as his Father gently closed his other hand over him. The prince didn’t know what was happening, but… he suddenly didn’t feel afraid anymore.

For the first time, in a long time, Dark Choco felt safe in his Father’s embrace.

Dark Cacao reached into this wellspring of power and gave it a single command.

Save him.

A blinding light enveloped the father and son.

All at once the Realm of Apathy faded. The fog was banished to whence it came. In a burst of wind and ancient magic, the Cookies returned to the real world, amidst the ancient ruins of the once-beautiful Ivory Pagoda.

The Dark Beast vanished and in its place was a Hero embracing his child.

“I love you too.” Dark Cacao whispered, pressing a kiss to his son’s forehead. Both their souls, now freed from guilt, felt at peace. A peace that awakened New Power within the Ancient.

He was idly aware of the two dragons that now circled overhead. An invisible bond between himself and the creatures tugged on him slightly as they surveyed the new surroundings for any danger to their Master and his offspring. When none were found, they settled on either side of him, calm yet alert.

In the distance, Dark Cacao could hear the familiar sounds of his warriors fast approaching. With the fog gone, the path to the ruins had been cleared. No doubt, they had seen the light of his Awakening.

“Rest, my son.” The father commanded gently. He had ripped the illness out of Dark Choco’s body, but his wounds from battle still persisted. He was not a Healer like Pure Vanilla, but he was content with the knowledge that his child would not die this day. “You did well today. I am proud of you.”

Dark Choco Cookie smiled weakly before finally allowing sleep to take him.

And for the first time in years, he didn’t have any nightmares.

Chapter Text

When Dark Choco Cookie awoke, he was hit with the most sickening wave of nausea he had ever experienced. It was so severe that his first coherent thought was, “I am going to throw up.”

The next thing he knew a wastebasket was being shoved into his face (he had spoken that thought aloud, apparently), and the world was snapping into acute clarity. The smell of incense, the chill of winter cold, the familiar sheets that warmed him…

He was home.

After a few last coughs and dry heaves, his body decided there was nothing left to expel and allowed Dark Choco respite. He pulled away from the basket, turning his head away from the sickening mix of flour and filling before the sight could make him gag again. He took a few deep breaths, ignoring the throbbing ache that coursed through every inch of his dough with the action.

The apprentice apothecary took the wastebasket away to be disposed of and a doctor took his place at Dark Choco’s bedside.

“Good afternoon, my prince.” He said with a slight bow, “Do you know where you are?”

Dark Choco’s eyes drifted to the nearby window, as if to double check what he already knew.

“... I am home. In the Dark Cacao Kingdom.” He said slowly. The doctor nodded, pleased by the answer.

“Do you know how you came to be here?”

Dark Choco took a bit longer to answer that one. He remembered following the guidance of a voice he hadn’t heard since he was a child. He remembered stowing away on his father’s ship. He remembered Beast-Yeast and the fog. He remembered the monsters–

“I… Was fighting…” He put a hand up to his head. He hadn’t even been awake for five minutes and he could already feel a headache forming. “I was injured.”

“His Majesty brought you home.” The doctor filled in, “You have been asleep for several days. The sleep has done you good, though. Your wounds are healing nicely.”

He then went into an in depth explanation of Dark Choco’s wounds. A crack through his torso was the most severe of the injuries he had received in battle. A little bit of pressure in the wrong spots and he would have been totally snapped in half. Apparently, transporting him safely had been a major challenge. Breaks and fractures littered his dough, and loss of appendages due to the damage had been a very real possibility had it not been for his Father’s careful handling of his unconscious form. Had it not been for him, Dark Choco would not have made it home in one piece.

(He wouldn’t have made it home at all.)

Dark Choco Cookie nodded along as the doctor listed off everything he would need to do in order to treat his wounds. Plenty of bed rest, regular light meals, etcetera.

It felt strange. How normal the doctor was being, knowing who he was. The other cookie was acting as if nothing were amiss. As if the patient before him wasn’t a traitor to King and Country. He wanted to ask why but…

“Is there anything I can have to help with the pain?” He asked instead, “To help me sleep…”

The doctor checked the time before he nodded. “Yes. It’s about time for your next dose of medication anyway. Allow me to get those for you, my prince.” He bowed again before going to take his leave.

The door shut behind the doctor with a soft ‘click’ and Dark Choco was left alone.

He lay there in the quiet, the only sounds were of his own breathing. He watched as it began to snow outside his window. As he counted the snowflakes out of boredom, he couldn’t help but wonder…

Was any of this real?

After dealing with Pomegranate’s illusions, maddening whispers from his cursed sword, and vivid nightmares for so long; his own understanding of reality and fiction became somewhat blurred.

The voice he had followed, had that been real? Beast-Yeast, his father becoming a massive monster, him almost crumbling into flour, being safe and warm and home….

He was afraid to have hope. He knew if he woke up now, his heart would be totally and utterly crushed.

Dark Choco trembled - despite the room being kept rather warm - and pulled the blankets tighter around himself.

The sound of footsteps approaching alerted him to a cookie at the door. He assumed it was the doctor returning with the medicine, so he turned his attention back toward the window.

The sight of falling snow was blocked by two sets of dragon eyes trying to peek into his room.

He startled, making a rather embarrassing sound as his whole body jolted. If he was healthy, he probably would have jumped out of bed and grabbed anything he could use nearby as a weapon. However, the instant he moved, his entire being voiced its displeasure which elicited a groan from the prince.

Dark Choco pulled the blankets up and over his head. If the dragons attacked, the cloth would do nothing to protect him, but at least he could get the childish comfort that came with being hidden under a thick comforter.

The door opened and closed with a soft sound. The footsteps that approached the bed were heavy, but he could tell they were trying to be quiet so as not to disturb him. He would think the doctor would be startled by the sight of two dragons outside his window…

Oh, wait, maybe he was just dreaming after all.

Curious and wary, Dark Choco took a peek– That was not the doctor.

Dark Cacao Cookie stood there holding a tray of medicine and a cup of something steaming. He was dressed in the usual robes he wore around the palace, he was just missing his cape. The king, who he was so used to looking confident and unwavering, seemed nervous as he stood there.

Their eyes met.

There was a long stretch of silence.

Dark Cacao stepped forward and put the items he carried on Dark Choco’s bedside table. The prince watched him like a hawk, his gaze occasionally flicking over to the twin dragons before going back to his father.

Eventually, the King settled down in a chair beside the bed in order to resume their staring contest.

“Am I hallucinating again?” The words tumbled out of him before he could stop them. Dark Choco Cookie had no idea what to believe anymore. Who was attempting to manipulate him this time with illusory trickery? There was no red haze at the edges of his vision so it couldn't be Pomegranate. He was never subject to Affogato's wretched manipulations and the lack of his signature incense assured him that remained the case. The absence of the pale fog too assured him that he was not under the influence of the Beast he would later learn was called Mystic Flour Cookie...

Despite his skepticism, the sad look on his father’s face seemed realistic enough.

“I can assure you, everything you see before you is real.” Replied his father. “Yes, even them.” He said when Dark Choco had turned to glance at the dragons once more. “They are curious about you. They have been asleep in my sword since before you were born, as such they never actually knew of your existence.”

“Oh…” Was the prince’s intelligent reply.

They both fell silent again.

“Is this really how cookies tend to their injured young?” The Black Dragon’s voice whispered in the back of Dark Cacao’s mind. “It’s rather awkward.”

“No, you buffoon,” replied the White Dragon, “Can’t you see? There is more than just physical wounds here.”

“How are you feeling?” Dark Cacao Cookie cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair.

“I’m… Alive.” Dark Choco said with a bit of a sigh. “Everything hurts.”

“I brought some things that should help with your recovery. Your doctor says you have to take it all.” Dark Cacao gently pressed a loose bundle of cloth and the warm cup of tea into Choco’s hands. “It should help with the pain and allow you to sleep.”

“... Thank you.” He took the medicine with little effort. It was terribly bitter, but after spending so long out in the wilds of his home country, he could confidently say that he had tasted worse.

“Your doctor also says you’re underweight.” At this, Dark Cacao Cookie’s tone gained a quality to it that his son was unfamiliar with. “Have you… Been eating enough?”

Dark Choco took a long sip of his tea before answering. “Enough so that I don’t starve. Most of what I hunted and foraged was given to the villages in need of supplies during The Ailment…”

The prince’s brow furrowed as he recalled the absolute state his kingdom had been in when he had left.

“Is everyone…?” He began, but was unsure how to finish his question.

“The Ailment is no longer plaguing us.” His father nodded. “The one who caused it is no longer a problem for now.” The ‘ for now’ sent a chill through Dark Choco’s dough.

Another stretch of silence followed.

Dark Cacao eventually opened his mouth to say something, only for his son to beat him to the punch.

“Did you mean it?” He asked, not looking up from the tea cup in his hands.

“To what are you referring…?” Dark Cacao’s brows knitted together as he tried to decipher his son’s words.

“Before I passed out…” His grip on the cup grew tighter. “Did you mean it when you said… When you said that you loved me…?”

The old king felt a deep ache in his heart; like an old scar throbbing before a storm. His gaze became soft as he leaned forward. He gently removed the cup from his son’s hands and set it aside before taking them up into his own. He gripped them firmly, enough to get his point across but not enough to trap them. If Dark Choco wanted to pull away, he was free to.

He did not pull away.

“Dark Choco Cookie…” He began, “My son… I have loved you since the day you were born. From the moment I first held you in my arms, to now as I hold your hands, I have always cared about you…”

His gaze shifted downward; he seemed completely ashamed as he continued, “But I feel deep regret for not telling it to you directly for all these years. I feel foolish, for letting my anger and fear blind me to the truth… You needed me, and I turned away from you. You were trapped, and I neglected to help. I allowed my own grief to prevent me from being the father you needed - no - the father you deserved. For this, I am truly sorry.”

“I do not expect you to forgive me, but–” His hands were weakly tugged on in a silent request for him to get closer. Dark Cacao complied, not entirely certain what his son wanted at that moment.

Dark Choco Cookie then wrapped his arms around his father. The old king froze, taken aback by the gesture.

“I already did…” said his son’s watery voice from over his shoulder.

The words brought Dark Cacao immeasurable relief. A great burden finally lifted from his spirit. He returned the hug, practically shielding Dark Choco from the world around them.

“I know this means little in the wake of all the terrible things I have done, but... I am sorry for everything as well…” Dark Choco said with a shaky voice. “I am sorry for turning my back on our home. I am sorry for everyone I harmed. I am sorry for attacking you–!”

“You were lost and led astray…” His father whispered, his voice getting strained. “I am just glad you are home again…”

“Let us leave them be, for now,” whispered the White Dragon. “We can observe our Master’s fledgling some more later.”

“For once, I agree with you,” replied the Black Dragon.

With that, the father and son were left alone to weep together. The tension of many years worth of regret and pain finally melted from their hearts, paving the way for the bitter wounds to finally begin to heal.

Dark Cacao Cookie’s greatest treasure, his kingdom’s pride and joy, his beloved son had finally returned home.

And he would do everything in his power to protect his son’s future from Mystic Flour's twisted clutches.

"He loves you, so very much..."

"Never forget that."